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Hi there,
I’m dating someone who pays child support for his 2 children every week, I have four children they are in my care full time,we are thinking about moving in together, would his child support be reduced since he would be supporting my children as well?’

I’ve just received my assessment for this new financial year on what I need to pay, it in in excess of $2000 per month (yes, more than $24000 per year) for two children, of which I have not been able to see for a year due to a protection order (her way of exiting the relationship and taking the kids with).

This is criminal, how is it that one can be forced to pay money and not have any rights to see the children, let alone send them birthday presents and maintain a relationship? It would seem that the system is geared toward the children being a meal ticket for the receiving parent (I acknowledge it could be the mother or father in these circumstances). I spent 10 years building a solid career, she spent a couple of hours having C sections and I will pay damn near a third of my fortnightly income for her to sit on her ass smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee for the next 10 years while my children’s minds are polluted with lies, and any potential at a good life prospects for them go down the drain. I’m told my oldest (7 year old) still cannot even write her own name, yet I don’t have a leg to stand on, perceived as the bad-guy parent.

I was left with significant debt she did not service (childcare costs in excess of $3000) which meant I had to pay these to protect my own credit (joint name child care accounts). IRD say that those debts I have serviced cannot come into the calculation basis?

A few other things I struggle with:

How is it that she can effectively reverse engineer my annual salary amount based on what she gets through child support, surely that is a breach of the privacy act. What I earn is none of her business…?

The IRD say I am paying based on a percentage of income to keep them at the same level of existence, okay great. What happens if tomorrow I become CEO of Fonterra with a salary of $8.3 million – that wasn’t the existence they were accustomed to when I last saw them a year ago, so why must I pay more?

Thanks for putting this site up, good place to come vent some frustration, even if I have to keep paying it through the nose.

I would like to know what child support should cover. I have 50/50 care and pay a lot of child support…….. Anyway that part is under admin review but would really like to know if I also have to continue to pay school fees etc etc.

My son is 17. He turns 18 in June. He has mental health issues that require fortnightly appointments and medication. He also has type 1 diabetes. I have a private agreement with his father. My son goes to university and doesn’t have a job…(counseling has recommended that we keep things simple due to mental health issues so no job yet) he doesn’t qualify for student allowance or disability allowance. Does the child support stop at 18 still. Someone told me that while at uni and still being supported at home child support carries on until finished or getting a job up to the age of 24? Is this correct?

Hi There
Question : If after paying child support for what seems an eternity, and you find out legally or otherwise that you are NOT the childs biological father, are you able to re-cover all the monies previously paid to the mother if it was orchestrated through the IRD ? and is there an age limit in place where you can no longer do a paternity test on the child ?

I consulted my sources in this area for this question. “Yes you can recover all money paid. I read in an Act it was after 6 years but I think the Court may be able to order it anyway.”

More info:
“49 Time limit on applications for paternity orders
(1)
Subject to subsection (2), no application for a paternity order in respect of a child may be made after the expiration of 6 years from the birth of the child.
(2)
An application for a paternity order in respect of a child may be made after the expiry of the period specified in subsection (1)—
(a)
where at any time within the 2 years immediately preceding the making of the application, the respondent has—
(i)
contributed to or made provision for the maintenance of the child; or
(ii)
lived with the mother as if he were her husband or civil union partner; or
(b)
where at any time before the making of the application, the respondent has admitted expressly or by implication that he is the father of the child :
(c)
where, at any time before 1 July 1992, the respondent has been named as a liable parent for the purposes of sections 27I to 27ZI (don’t worry about these they’ve been repealed) of the Social Security Act 1964, and the bringing of an application for a paternity order is subsequently necessary as a consequence of the enactment of the Child Support Act 1991.
(3)
For the purposes of computing any period specified in this section, no account shall be taken of any period during which the respondent is absent from New Zealand.”

Hi , my husband and I have split but its amicable. With two young children I am on the dpb. A job I went for vs childcare costs meant Im staying on dpb a bit longer. So I held off putting in the childcare forms/ support docs to ird…now I need to stay on dpb, when I put these forms in , will they chase him for the period prior I have been on dpb ie he has to pay huge backdated amount to them ? ( we dont want that ird just seem to want to financially ruin people) also as I havent completed the child support forms, winz have deducted my benefit 50$ a week. Does this mean if I dont complete the forms, my exhus can just pay me the difference and thats the end of it or will ird catch up to him eventually wanting huge amounts in back pay. Your answers appreciated! Thank you!

Hi everyone.
I have been paying the minimum rate of CS each month as the NCP for my 1 yr old daughter – her mother is on the sole parent benefit and has two older children. This is because I’m a recent NZ resident with transitional tax status and have had no NZ income. The transitional tax period expires at the end of this month and I’m expecting the current situation to change and to be contacted by WiNZ/IRD for more information. I’m 61 and essentially retired although I do occasional freelance projects. My assets are: a house here in NZ which I occupy, a reasonably significant Kiwisaver balance, my Australian super fund nest egg (which is accessible from age 60) and money that I have here in NZ to tide me over until I reach 65. I understand the tax position surrounding all this but WiNZ/IRD ways of working seem quite a mystery! Professionals that I have spoken have not been able to clarify me either. I would appreciate any guidance on this matter so that I can prepare myself for any conversation/discussion with WiNZ/IRD.

Hi Kingsley, sorry I am not quite understanding your specific question. Normally they just go off your previous years earnings and there is also a calculator online you can use to work out what you will need to pay towards support for your daughter. Hope that helps, thanks.

Hi Rob,
I’m on a benefit. So IRD collects money off my sons father and i don’t see it. It goes straight to the crown. At the moment hes paying the minimum amount of child support. Not sure why when he works, ahs companies and property investments. Why i’m messaging you is because my son is 14 and needs to see an Orthodontist and have work done which is expensive. How or can i get IRD to get money off him to contribute half of his braces, consultation, digital xrays etc etc I don’t know the NZ law or how to go about it. Thanks for your help

Hi.
I have just received advice from IRD that my child support has gone from $811 per month for 2 children to $74.00. I have 100% care of my children. I contacted their father and was told by him that his circumstances have changed. I heard that he may have resigned from his job and be on the jobseekers benefit. I hope this isn’t in order to get out of paying. He sees his children maybe twice a year and lives in the same region. I have contacted the IRD and was told that because I am on a low income I am not able to receive anymore for my Family Tax Credit. What can I do? I have a mortgage to pay so am contacting WINZ to see if I can get anymore for accommodation supplement. Such bad timing. Brings tears to my eyes as $74 is less than $10 per child a week and wouldn’t even fee one of them for a day. Two teenagers! Any advice is appreciated

Hi Kirst, yes agree 75 a month is not enough to raise 2 teenagers on so sorry for your situation. You could do an admin around ground 8 capacity to earn, but the problem is if he is actually earning nothing, then it will be tough.

Hi
My partner and I separated in 2005
I have sole custody of our son who is now 13
I work for myself and find this difficult bringing up my son on minimum wage

The father has paid the minimal amount due over the years but IRD changed his payments last year to reflect his actual income and increased it 10 fold – he has now stopped paying this year and I have tried to talk to him about this but he won’t discuss.

I’ve spoken to IRD many, many times and they tell me he has signifiant arrears but I can’t seem to get any action to resolve this.

Hi, I have just received and assessment from the IRD that requires me to pay $17000 a year in child support based on my x wife claiming that she now cares for the children 100% of the time…I have parent alienation happening and am in the process of engaging a mediator to re-establish a parenting plan. For now I need now I need to know what does child support cover…is there an actual list existing?

Hi Rob
Great site you have here!!!!
I stumbled onto your site whilst googling “when do i stop paying child support” unfortunately I couldnt find the answer to this on the IRD website as it does not seem to have any info to help the paying parent, their help line is also of no help either.
I have been paying child support for 3 children for the past 15 years. And it has been crippling. Every year its gone up despite having only the one child to pay for for the last 12 months. I received 2 letters from the IRD a month ago stating that i no longer had to pay child support from 9 October as my last child would be 18 on 10 October, great news, wooohoooo, its finally over. I got a call from IRD yesterday telling me my child support for my 18 yr old was being reactivated again as his money hungry screw of a mother had reapplied to IRD for more child support (funny how she can afford an overseas holiday every year, yet i havent been able to have a holiday). I asked the IRD robot how does that work? You had told me it had finished, i was told by IRD that if one parent wanted it extended they could, i said i thought that once the child finished school i stopped paying. I was told, correct, but this would be extended to 31 December 2016 and i would have to keep paying until then , i said, but he will finish school in early November 2016 as he is year 13. I was told that it didnt matter, i would still have to pay until 31 December because that was the law (is it a law?), i asked, how is that fair? Considering he will finish school in November, isnt the IRD supposed to be fair? I will be writing to them over this as well. But the question i cant seem to find an answer to is when do I actually stop paying child support, age 18 ?, when the child finishes school ? 31 December 2016? Or am i likely to keep paying until he is 19
Thanks for your help
Regards Bill

If they stay at school it is the day before they turn 19. If this is the child’s last year at school then 31 December. Say he went back to school again next year then until he is 19. Not very fair I know, but at least you are at the end of the spectrum – I still have another 7 or 8 years to go!

O’k I’m a father of three kids of which one I am stated on their birth certificate, It wasn’t until i got their passports that i learned their last names were different, and i was kept off their birth certificates, I’m guessing that this was done in the purpose of collecting benefits without me knowing, I cant be sure but as my ex is money hungry i cant think of any other reason.

I am married now and have my 3 step children living with us, even tho i support them 27/7 they are not included in my assessment for paying c/s in which my ex claims for the 1 child for whom i’m on the birth cert. as far as IRD are concerned its their fathers responsibility to support them.

So I work and do a lot of over time in the busy season and are required to pay $800 a month , but yet for 9 of those months their is no overtime at all, which makes us struggle to no end having to fork out that much money, that’s $200 per week for 1 child, when if we were to collect child support from a father that is unemployed we would receive the minimum of around $80 a month for all 3 children,
The system is totally unfair and is actually hurting children and families more than its actually helping.

My child has just turned 18 and i received a letter stating my c/s would stop,
within a week i got served court papers to do a paternity test for the other 2 kids so she could collect c/s through IRD
we have been apart over 6 yrs and the kids are nearly 16 and 17 ,
why would she wait so long to claim c/s if she wasn’t receiving some sort of benefit, saying she didn’t know who the father was.

My ex works little hours over a few days and with me having to pay $200 and now probably more per week , why would she have to.

C/S needs to be fair and needs to take into account all situations involved, step children or biological children should not be a factor if you are married or been in that relationship for a very long time.
Income needs to be capped on your hourly rate ! you should not be punished if you choose to work overtime or need to take on a second job to help get ahead.

You should actually be assessed on their yearly income for your monthly payments to encourage them to get real jobs and help support their own children.

We are paying c/s for our children to help raise them so the cost should be spit, not the non custodial parent paying for everything and giving the custodial parent the right to stop you having access or seeing your kids as much as you want and sitting around because they don’t need to work anymore.

Id be interested in hearing from people in my sort of situation to discuss the different options we could have to sort this criminal injustice we have thrown upon us

Ok so I am a dad of four girls only two of which now fall under child support. My marriage ended in 2007 and my ex immediately went to IRD for child support rather than enter into a private agreement. My initial assessment of income was incorrect and as a result I applied for an admin review. The amount over assessed was in the order of $15,000. The review found in my favour but advised that as my ex did not have the means to repay the debt then I would be unable to recover the $15k. Ok so when eventually the marital property was finalised I again applied on the grounds that circumstances had changed and that my ex now did have the means to repay the over payments. This was declined on the basis that the review found it unfair that the monies should be repaid form a settlement of this nature. Bazaar eh! Any how I have found the whole child support process an absolute dog. If indeed it costs $14,000 per child per year, which I doubt, then each parent should pay 50% of this regardless of the nights each parent has care of the children. I have found that I am forced away from shared care, which would be my preference, as to earn enough money to pay the assessments I am forced to work in the main centres.

The solution in my mind is easy. Parents should endeavour to enter into private agreements in the best interests of the children. Children are not best served by stressed, anxious parents who are constantly intimidated by IRD and their employees. On a final note a child does not cost more simply because of the mother or fathers earning capacity or their ability to minimise income through legitimate accounting practices.

Some good points there Allan. A private agreement as the first and preferred option, followed up by a fair flat rate (if parents couldn’t come to an agreement) would be a good way to go. Unfortunately those that run our country don’t seem to put much of a priority on sorting out the mess that has been created.

Unfortunately when one parent goes on a benefit the other parent becomes the “non-custodial” or “paying parent” by default even if circumstances are 50/50. I shouldnt be either the non-custodial nor the paying parent when i share care and costs 50/50

P.S. My personal opinion is that the Child support system needs to be scrapped. I would pay directly for everything my children need and try to go %50 on the excessive costs (like braces) without any prompting from the IRD. Dead beats will be dead beats and some parents don’t want to be parents etc etc. But a lot more people today want nothing but the best for their children. This terrible murderous system was brought in for good reason and with the best of intentions but it has failed, and it has killed, and it continues to rot the citizens that pay over and over again. It’s time we took full responsibility for our own actions and tell everyone you alone will support your children/or not but no one owes you a living!. So no more hand outs, no more using children as a weapon, and no more Child Support. The GOVT can but out of relationships unless there are criminal acts involved. A divorce or separation is no reason to link two people together financially for two decades when having a child links you financially to them for life.

Has anyone tried pointing out that there is a huge increase to the cost of living at the moment especially in Auckland with the rents rising as fast as the housing. Surely the GOVT will have to review the $17k living allowance portion of this corrupt system. Keep adjusting it for inflation?????

Hi there,
Stumbled over this website – extremely reassuring that I am not the only paying parent that has been struggling with the IRD!

Back story,
I am a paying parent, living in Australia, of a 12 year girl living in NZ. I have been paying child support for almost 10 years and there has not been ONE SINGLE DAY that the IRD has it right.
When I started the process, they were very supportive of my situation and my plight… over the phone.. but when it came down to brass tacks, they just about bankrupted me.
I moved to Australia with my baby and 4 bags. During the next emotional 12 months, childs father begged for a “visit”. I scrapped together enough money to take her home and be with her father for a month. As I landed back in Australia, childs father had a Non-Removal order on me. I lost my baby to him because I felt sorry for him. Never Again.

Since that day, I have been battling the IRD.

I have examples from, asking me to pay “arrears” that are 3 years old, taking Tax refunds for “arrears” that have note been mentioned, double dipping (taking from my employer AND personal account) for 6 months, covering me in paperwork to “square up”, what ever a “square up” is, telling Aus government one figure and then debt collecting another, choosing their own exchange rate, declining a review order on the grounds of high costs to cover contact (I pay for round trip tickets to and from NZ for my daughter AND myself because childs father refuses to let her travel alone – almost $19K per year) because he pays $1600 per year to drive to Auckland. The list goes on….

I have since remarried and had children with my husband (which the IRD have not registered this year!) and the only thing that works in my favour is that they do not take his income into consideration.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, if I knew the money was going directly to my daughter, I would pay double – but in my 10 years I have paid for a new deck, a wedding, travel and so on – I swear, he told me!! – so you can see why I totally love what you are trying to do here.

Paying parents (Mothers or Fathers) ARE NOT the enemy. So why do I feel like a dead beat parents when I have to explain myself to “Admin Review” each and every year? Its so degrading and not reflective of the relationship I have with my child.

I would take any kind of comments or feedback about this whole situation!

Hi. I contacted you some time ago (June 8) about a massive child support bill I’d received from the IRD after my former husband took my daughter more than a year ago. Well, I thought you might like an update: I have had a review with the IRD and learned that he has put his income down as “nil”. He claims he has earned nothing for a year, while stating he owns a company that employs 14 people. Even the woman doing the review was surprised at this, given he pays $400 a week in school fees, $860 in rent (he moved into the house only a few months ago, by the way). And yet the IRD didn’t question this at the time – they must have access to his financials – and are continuing to come after me and putting penalties on me for $1100 a month – when after my rent, petrol, food, etc I’m left with nothing. I produced emails, letters, references to support everything I said, but was told it was irrelevant. In the meantime, I’m losing my job in a few weeks and am frantically interviewing for another, admittedly with a reasonable chance of success. Now I’m waiting to hear. And I’m still rarely seeing from my daughter.

If you earn no income for 11 months then advise in the last month you will earn $1000 the calculation will be as folows $1000 / 31 days = $32.25 x 365 days means $11,774 will be the assessed income to pay child support on. And it will all be payable in 60 days from 1st of March. This is an impossibility.

Personally I have had to estimate my income as I had no income at all for 6 weeks. My assessed income has increased by $20,000 over what I will actually earn due to this formula and there is nothing IRD can do about it as it is in legislation.

There is an end of year washup which you would think protects you but it uses the exact same formula!!!

Question please. Can a parent deny access to a parent paying child support. No written agreement in place. Just mutual agreement going for 2 years.
Another question if a dad has custody to one child and ex has other 2 children. Dad pays child support for other 2 children. Is he entitled to child support from ex for the one child that lives with him.

Hi,
I have just been assessed as having to pay $1100 a month for my daughter (aged 13). My ex-husband and I had 50/50 care until he did not return her a year ago. I fought through the family court for her return only for him to gain full custody. That’s right: I lost my child. Previously we simply shared her expenses, both of us paying $50 a week for her “exclusive, essential” expenses in a private arrangement. To pay my legal fees, I have been working up to seven days a week in two jobs for the past year and still have thousands to pay off (it’s on my credit card). This has bumped up my income but I’d dropped one of the jobs as I couldn’t sustain the pace and I’m trying to get a reassessment. I don’t see how I, living in a tiny two-bedroom brick and tile unit I bought five years ago, driving a ten-year-old car, only holidaying when I get a work trip have to pay more than a quarter of my income to a man in a two-income household, who earns at least twice what I do, took my daughter out of a state school and put her in a $400 a week private school against my wishes, lives in an 800-a-week home by the sea, has a holiday property in Coromandel and spent all of January in France, Germany, Spain and Morocco. And I’m desperate to have my daughter home again. At least the New Zealand justice system is also injust towards mothers.

I was looking through your site the other day and came across an area that said you assist with Admin Reviews for a small fee, but I can’t seem to find that area again. I’d be very interested in getting some assistance if you still offer it.

My husband has just gotten his child support assessment and we have 50/50 shared care. After objecting to the assesssment it has been corrected to include the care arrangement as it got lost in the change over.
However we are unclear how we ended up with monthly payments of $100 more when nothing has changed.
Is there anything anywhere that actually steps you through how the pay,ents are worked out? I dont trust their online calculator and It appears she has declared an income of $0.00 which seems absurd!
Makes it smarter for my hubby to stay home and not work at all!
Grrrrr why did they make it so difficult to understand?!

I would like to respond to your story and if anybody has any comments i would love to hear.
As far as i am aware you”don’t” have to pay childsupport thru the IRD unless you or your wife(ex-wife) did apply for it. get this check because if they have send a letter with out any aplication that is almost illegal. so if i may ask, you pay $1367.20 but how much does your wife get?

Hi my name is Jarno and i am following you guys everyday, seeing what happens out there, what people are going thru etc.
I would like to know who started this site and what is being done with the information! there are so many different cases, many where people have to pay more.
I really like to hear back and see what we can do because its getting rediculous.

Hi Rob. Child custody issues are becoming more common in my private investigation business and so far my clients have all been male! The inequality of access to the children has led me to write the following blog. I wanted to provided some clarity on video and audio recording and in particular get the point across that quite frankly the dads need to wake up and wise up and take steps to protect themselves from false accusations! I hope that you can post this link and I welcome comments from men and women who have any questions on my recommendations.

My ex has made life very difficult for me to see my daughter, My daughter resents us for court action over the past year. I believe one of the reason s for my ex preventing our family seeing daughter/granddaughter was because my ex wanted to have 100% of the child support. We were going to enforce the court order which was in place for our family to see daughter/granddaughter in the weekends. We were battling the mother and daughter we gave up, this was not any easy decision to make. I hope there are no financial incentives for Mothers to prevent visitation with child support?

Advice please, while like many ive been dealt a blow, $561 now $ 943 yes a solid earning increase in last couple years, rather than dealing anymore with IRD, ( not worth stress to my mental health now ). I’m taking steps to get by, I’ve suspended kiwi saver and cut of phone and Internet…
However while I work 50 hours a week, I’m considering a 8 hours weekend job to cover some medical needs, doc- dentist stuff.
In my case Our child is 17.25 years old, I hear April 1st 2016 the payment will stop on 18th birthday rather than 19th now … Is this true..
And if I work more, earn more do I keep paying longer to cover this years increased earning or does iRD estimated earning apply with no catch up.
Regards KC

Action needs to be taken against the Government because of this!
Even though this new change doesn’t affect me to badly, others it has and in the future it could affect me that badly.
I submitted my story to you and hope you have a read and let me know what you think.

The new changes are making people who are well off from working hard to get what they have to working hard and being in poverty because of this.

This too has angered me and brought me to emotional tears !

I’m struggling to see how the new formula is fair if it doesn’t take into account your partner and step children!

i have a diferent situation…my wife and i seperated 5yrs ago…we agreed she would stay in family home with the children i would cover the mortgage nd rates also pay for our two daughters schooling
5yrs on…i still cover mortgage rates and schooling..but because ex wife is on a winz benefit….this year im orderd to pay $1367.20 per month…

A class action is a nice thought! Under the new review my husbands child support payments double. We were already struggling as a one income family. How IRD can place value on one family over another is appalling? This change puts us in the most dire situation ever and only fuels the contempt we have between families. We are at the most desperate point ever. IRD are the dodgiest agency ever…

Just putting this out there , But does anyone think there are possibly grounds for a class action against the IRD here ?
For example , here in Australia there has recently been a successful class action taken against the banks for Illegal “late” fees the banks have been charging to the tune of 38 million for one bank alone .

Is the constant shifting of the goal posts by the IRD unlawful ? Are their fees or various late payment % penalties unlawful ? Or how about the fact that they charge X amount to the payer and only give a portion of it to the payee …..and pocket the rest .

Thank you. Please feel free to use my story in the article that you have mentioned on your Facebook Page.
I have no issue with giving financial support to my son but this new system definitely has its faults. I feel penalized by not having a “percentage” of custody/visitation with my child, when the lack of contact I am having has not been created by my hand.

I have just received my 2015-2016 assessment for a paying parent. My income rose by $1965.00 this financial year. Now that the mother of my child has her income factored into the calculation I am now paying $3600.00 more a year. An increase of approximately $70.00 per week. Struggling to see how this is a fairer way. So I have gone from paying $729.00 a month to $997.00.
This is going to have a huge impact on my day to day living costs and to be honest it has now created a whole lot of stress for me.
It is impossible to communicate with this organisation when you are the paying parent. They tell you you can go for a review…which I have done once before in the past and that proved both stressful and pointless.
It appears that because I earn more than my ex partner I am now penalized even more and to top it off my ex wife has made it so difficult to have contact with my boy that I do not get to see him and if he wanted to see me he was made to feel so guilty that he stopped coming.

Hi Jason, you find yourself in a situation that many of us are in, reeling at the new formula, that was meant to be fairer – yet in many cases such as yours it is not. Hang in there and if we can think of any solutions that might help you will be in touch.

We have just stumbled across your website while we were trying to find a support group in dealing with Childsupport, however on the grounds of when you have found out that you are not the biological parent.
Is your agency currently or on the past dealt with these situations? If not could you possibly advise if there is someone who specifically deals with this?